RTSB Community Alignment for Reading Excellence (CARE) Elementary

When standards, assessments and observations are strongly aligned they bring clarity to the education system by providing a coherent set of expectations for students and educators. To date, RTSB assessments and observations concretely represent an alignment of the standards from child care/preschool through first grade, providing a target upon which teachers can focus their instruction. Using classroom instruction that follows the standards and is informed by progress monitoring, formative assessments and observations, teachers can effectively prepare their students for the year-end evaluations.

RTSB's alignment to the standards also ensures that our assessments and observations are a trustworthy source of data. A study of an assessment's degree of alignment to the standards can serve as evidence of validity. A valid assessment produces data that can be interpreted as demonstrating a student's achievement in the skill area which the assessment covers. Alignment can also increase an assessment's reliability and the capability of producing consistent measurements of student achievement.

The RTSB alignment examines the degree to which the RTSB assessments and observations address the same content; at various developmental levels through our CARE continuum. For example, the developmental progression of phonological awareness begins with the broad concepts of listening in preschoolers, moves towards phonemic awareness in prekindergarten and kindergarten and, eventually, phonics and the alphabetic principle in late kindergarten and 1st grade. Sequential development, in which the standards and assessments are developed in a serial manner, is a straightforward and accountable method of alignment. The RTSB assessments and observations concretely embody the learning objectives of the standards, providing an impetus for teachers to support preschool children in developing the necessary skills and knowledge for kindergarten readiness and beyond.

As RTSB CARE supports expand into second and third grade classrooms and additional resources become available, RTSB will expand the number of classrooms and students it can support. In an optimal standards-based assessment system, every method of gathering information about students, including classroom observations, formative assessments and progress monitoring, will be aligned to the academic standards and expectations for all students.

CARE Elementary

Embedded support - work directly with teachers in the context of the classroom. Conduct fidelity observations to support the enhancement of literacy instruction and ensure it is being conducted consistently, accurately, and as intended.

Assessments - support the administration and analysis of student assessment data. Conduct progress monitoring to quantify students' response to instruction and evaluate the effectiveness of instruction.

Professional Development - support the continuous process of acquiring new knowledge and skills. Design and facilitate professional development modules to support teachers.

Results

The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT™-4) is a norm-referenced, wide range instrument that measures receptive vocabulary. The PPVT-4 instrument evaluates comprehension of the spoken word in Standard English and is a measure of the examinee's achievement in acquiring vocabulary.

There is a strong relationship between vocabulary and reading comprehension. Along with other skills, understanding of word meanings is essential for extracting meaning from text. The ability to read and write printed language is highly correlated with students' oral language proficiency, and the ability to understand a text read aloud is a prerequisite for making sense of the same text in printed form. It is essential that children build listening and speaking competency while also developing reading and writing skills.

Programs

We are focused on creating support for teachers of economically disadvantaged children.